Join Washington State’s Regional Labor Economist, Dr. Reinhold Groepler, as he discusses employment trends and future in San Juan County. The presentation will be held on Orcas Island, Thursday, March 8, from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

A workshop on cooperative businesses, what they are and how they work is March 3, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at The Funhouse Commons. This is the first Island Enterprise Lab-sponsored event, which will be led by professional co-op developers from the Northwest Cooperative Development Center in Olympia.

The annual Rainshadow Running 25K and 50K races in Moran State Park, which ran over two weekends in late January and early February, was an opportunity for the Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce to promote local businesses by working with conference planners and individuals who already are taking part in existing events.

Green Builder Media, an Eastsound, Wash., organization that promotes sustainable construction and "green" building techniques, was featured in the LA Times on Jan. 14 entitled, "Green is a big part of the blueprint for Pacific Palisades house."

In January, the Doe Bay Cafe is donating one dollar of each pizza sold during its Thursday night Open Mic to the Orcas Island Food Bank.
“So gather up the kids and friends and head for Doe Bay Cafe on a Thursday night in January, enjoy one or several of their delicious handmade pizzas made with local organic produce and products and know a local family will be benefiting from it, too,” said food bank board member Madie Murray.

Islanders: prepare for an influx of athletes at the end of January.
What used to be known as the “Fat Ass Race” on Orcas Island is happening again – but over two separate weekends.
This year there will be a 25k Race on Saturday, Jan. 28 followed by a 50k Race on Saturday, Feb. 4.

To all affected by the local real estate and construction industries: the real estate market is improving.
We at Coldwell Banker San Juan Islands will end up 2011 a bit ahead of 2010, which was ahead of 2009 by 15 percent. Further, the 4th quarter of 2011 has been very active in both showings and sales. Many of the sales that are taking place will actually close in the first quarter of 2012 so we should be starting off the New Year comparatively well. We are also seeing increases in people making plans to come up and look at property next spring and summer.

Contributed by Cathleen McCluskey of Organic Seed Alliance.
Organic Seed Alliance’s seed saving workshop for gardeners and farmers took place on a frosty fall morning last Monday at Skagit Valley Community College/WSU Extension on San Juan Island. The workshop was designed for folks of all seed saving knowledge levels, along with other organizationally created courses, is presented by OSA staff throughout the year. OSA executive director Micaela Colley presented this basic Seed Saving Workshop 101 course to a captive participatory audience of more than 20 San Juan County farmers and gardeners.

The holidays bring a season to buy gifts and travel. Unfortunately, those activities also pose a risk to our financial security as identity fraud and theft have become commonplace. Here a few tips to avoid financial fraud.

Last year American Express designated Nov. 26 “Small Business Saturday,” a day to celebrate and support local, independently-owned small businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and invigorate neighborhoods across the country.

It's a quiet weekday morning at the Island Skillet. A smattering of diners leisurely indulge in the eatery's “all-American” fare: shrimp and avocado omelets, eggs benedict, breakfast burritos.
Recognizing the Sounder, an islander calls over: “The huevos rancheros are to die for.”
Word of mouth is quickly spreading about the new restaurant that opened its doors last week in the Eastsound space behind Teezer's a spot last occupied by the Italian Luna's.

The San Juan Islands have been featured in Destinations Travel magazine's November green edition. The story is simply titled, "Beautiful San Juan Islands."
The San Juan Island Visitors' Bureau supplied the colorful scenic photography.

Orcas Islander Chantrelle Hildreth's book, "Once In A Lifetime Dog, My Borisangel" has been selected as a Award Winning Finalist in the category, Non-Fiction Narrative for the USA Book News, "Best Books 2011" Book Awards.

Tomatoes are still in season, just barely, and winter vegetables for keeping are coming on strong.
The Orcas Island Farmers Market heads inside to the Odd Fellows Hall for the entire month of October. Fall hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The San Juan Islands have been selected by "Where to Retire," a magazine geared toward helping people with retirement relocation decisions, as a top retirement destination and will be profiled in the feature story “8 Treasured Islands for Serene Living.”

To kids heading back to school, the summer is almost over, but the Orcas Island Farmers’ Market is very much at its peak. Farm stalls are bursting at the seams with produce. Chard, squash, greens, corn, onions, potatoes, garlic, cucumbers for your pickling pleasure, and - thank goodness – FINALLY, nice ripe red tomatoes!

The San Juan County Economic Development Council will present a free half-day workshop for small businesses and entrepreneurs on San Juan Island, on Monday, Sept. 19, from 8:30 a.m. until noon. The course will be presented by James McCafferty, director of the Skagit/San Juan Islands Small Business Development Center and a management consultant for over 10 years.

Several San Juan County destinations were featured in the Aug. 29 issue of Woman's World weekly magazine.
"This is the third time in six years that we’ve been able to get the San Juan Islands featured as a Woman’s World recommended travel destination," said San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau Public Relations Manager Robin Jacobson.

Agave Restaurant and Tequila Bar has opened in Eastsound inside the building that used to house Ecotopian. Owner Kathy Lunde has painted the walls a light terra-cotta color, put up colorful paintings by Sadie Bailey, and opened the patio for outdoor seating.

The Orcas Island firm captained by John Ashenhurst, Chris Thomerson and David Sarver has announced the publication of its fifth book, "The eNotated Metamorphosis.”
Jens Kruse, part-time Orcas resident and Professor of German at Wellesley, served as the book’s eNotator.

The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) and the Northwest Workforce Council are pleased to announce that the Weatherization Tech Training program has enabled nine San Juan County builders to expand their knowledge base to include retrofitting and weatherization techniques.